Hole in his gut, Spurs’ Popovich moves on

1of 27San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan holds his children Draven (left) and Sydney as head coach Gregg Popovich wipes away tears after Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on June 15, 2014 at the AT&T Center. The Spurs won 104-87.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

2of 27Spurs’ Tim Duncan talks with head coach Gregg Popovich during second half action of Game 6 in the Western Conference semifinals against the City Thunder on May 12, 2016, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

3of 27Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich addresses the media on May l3, 2016, at team facility, with focus on a Tim Duncan photo in the background.Photo: Ron Cortes /For the Express-News

7of 27Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with Tim Duncan during a break in the second half of Game 2 of the Western Conference first round series at the AT&T Center on May 2, 2012.Photo: Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

8of 27Spurs’ Tim Duncan walks to the bench past coach Gregg Popovich during a timeout in second half action of Game 6 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on May 12, 2016 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

9of 27Nando de Colo played a lot in the Spurs-Heat “rest” game in 2012.Photo: Mike Ehrmann /Getty Images

10of 27Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich (left) talks to Tim Duncan (center) and LaMarcus Aldridge (12) during a timeout in the game against the Washington Wizards at the AT&T Center on Dec. 16, 2015.Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

15of 27Tim Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich talk after the first day of training camp for the Spurs on Oct. 2, 1999.Photo: Express-News file photo

16of 27San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (from left), and head coach Gregg Popovich talk with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr after the game Sunday April 5, 2015 at the AT&T Center. The Spurs won 107-92.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

17of 27San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich speaks with center Tim Duncan during the fourth uarter of Game 5 of their NBA Western Conference playoff series against the Utah Jazz in San Antonio on May 30, 2007.Photo: Jessica Rinaldi

/Reuters

18of 27San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan joke on the bench during second half action against the 76ers on March 24, 2014, at the AT&T Center. The Spurs won 113-91.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

19of 27Coach Greg Popovich talks with Tim Duncan during overtime as the Spurs host the Portland Trailblazers at the AT&T Center on December 19, 2014.Photo: TOM REEL

20of 27HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 17: Head coach Gregg Popovich of the Western Conference shakes hands with Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs and the Western Conference during the 2013 NBA All-Star game at the Toyota Center on February 17, 2013 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.Photo: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

21of 27Photo: Bahram Mark Sobhani, AP

22of 27Tim Duncan confers with Greg Popovich as the the Spurs open the season against the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center on October 28, 2014.Photo: TOM REEL

23of 27SPORTS --- The Spurs' Gregg Popovich, left, and Tim Duncan talk Tuesday night May 9, 2006 at the AT&T Center to the officials about a call during the second game of their Western Conference Semi-Finals match-up against the Dallas Mavericks. (BAHRAM MARK SOBHANI/STAFF)Photo: Bahram Mark Sobhani, Express-News file photo

25of 27San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with Tim Duncan as Kawhi Leonard passes during first half action of Game 1 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday April 20, 2014 at the AT&T Center.Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, San Antonio Express-News

26of 27San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, right, talks to Tim Duncan during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Hornets, Friday, April 6, 2012, in San Antonio. San Antonio won 128-103. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)Photo: Darren Abate, AP

It was the thoughtful act of a father. Gregg Popovich would go to a Zagat-approved restaurant on the road with his staff, and sometimes, toward the end of the meal, he would ask the waiter for a small carrot cake to go.

He would then leave the package outside Tim Duncan’s hotel door, and Popovich’s original thinking was simple. He knew Duncan loved carrot cake.

But they say this became a road ritual that went on for years, and that the gesture was about more than a late-night snack. It was a nod to partnership and appreciation.

At least Popovich is doing something familiar as he takes the first step toward another season. He and his staff leave for the West Coast on Friday for their annual retreat, where, as Popovich said, “the arguing will begin.”

Included on this retreat is Monty Williams, the onetime Spur and former head coach of New Orleans. Williams has officially joined the Spurs, though Popovich is still unsure whether Williams will work from the bench or from R.C. Buford’s box.

Otherwise, Popovich says this is business as usual. “Same culture, same philosophy,” he said. “I only know what I know. We’ll hang our hat on defense. We just don’t have the greatest power forward of all-time playing for us anymore.”

They still have him around, though. Duncan hasn’t been in the Spurs’ practice facility every day this summer, but he was there this week. He hits the weight machines, does some shooting, hangs around the guys.

You could still use a backup center, couldn’t you?

Popovich laughed. “I can’t look inside those knees.”

Popovich has told Duncan to come around, to be here, to do what he wants. “If he wants to go on a scouting trip, fine. If he wants his own station in training camp, he has it. He’s in charge. He can tell me exactly what he wants to do. But I’m not paying him a penny.”

Reminded that Duncan will still be receiving Spurs checks this season on what is the final year of his contract, Popovich laughed again.

“Oh, I forgot.”

Most in the organization think Duncan will eventually join the franchise in a full-time capacity. They guess he won’t coach but will instead focus on personnel. Duncan has long been intrigued by the methods that Popovich and Buford use to identify talent.

Duncan has at times disagreed with their decisions only to be proven wrong. He’s curious why.

For now Duncan is standing in the background as an observer, and his own adjustment is jarring. For nearly two decades he has spent his summers building his body to withstand an NBA season. Now he can eat as much carrot cake as he wants without the need to burn off the calories.

Popovich’s adjustment is more complicated, but he thinks the first part can be done. This is just about basketball.

Popovich won’t have Duncan around to use as a symbol of accountability anymore, for example, but there are ways to get around that. For one, Popovich can yell more at Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to make a similar impression on the locker room.

Popovich will want Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge to be more demonstrative, filling the leadership void left by Duncan, and then there’s Pau Gasol. He not only brings Duncan-like skills to the team, he creates a familiar pastime for Popovich. Whereas Popovich was once consumed with rationing Duncan’s minutes, now he can be as obsessed with preserving Gasol.

“As a coach you deal with what is there,” Popovich said, “and I’m excited about what we have.”

Brett Brown, the longtime Spurs assistant who is now the coach of the 76ers, saw this coming years ago. He always thought Popovich could coach without Duncan the player, but that moving on without Duncan the friend would be tricky. Brown, after all, was around for the carrot cake deliveries.

“Pop will miss Timmy more from a relationship standpoint than a basketball standpoint,” Brown said this week. “And considering how great Timmy was, that is saying something.”

Brown compared Popovich losing Duncan to how he felt dropping off his daughter at college this month. You know the transition is natural, you know this is what has to happen. But there’s a gnawing loneliness.

Accurate?

“Absolutely,” Popovich said. “I have a hole in my gut.”

Popovich and Duncan put together the longest coach-player combination in NBA history, but they also lived a buddy-cop movie. From buses to planes to arenas, they kidded each other and competed against the world. They were a tag-team, figuring out what the team needed while also knowing the other was always behind him. The relationship was playful and respectful, and sometimes they celebrated and sometimes they were miserable, and Popovich finds himself still amazed by all of it.

“Most people aren’t married for 19 years,” he said, and that’s why Friday represents more than the beginning of another season.